Just to sum up my many years of experience with electronics (and it is quite considerable):
Do what the manufacturer TELLS you to do. If they say 12V only, then you DAMN well better have a constant 12V source attached to the power wires of that thing.
Seriously, electronics are incredibly durable mechanically, drop em, throw em, hell, you can even put them in water under the right circumstances (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!!! I AM NOT KIDDING!!! DO NOT EVER EVER PUT ELECTRINCS IN WATER... EVER!), but the bottom line is that they are very sensitive and delicate ELECTRICALLY! While, of course, you wont MELT or BLOW OUT something by supplying insuficient voltage, you will DAMAGE components that are recieving incorrect voltages. This could be minor as a substrate craking (a tech way of saying 'busted component') or as serious as bursting into flame. IT CAN HAPPEN!!!! Anyone who doesnt believe me has never worked with electronics.
In closing, ALWAYS FOLLOW MANUFACTURERS DIRECTIONS. If they say place the purle pink pokadot wire to the left handed whatzit, you better hook it up that way.
Iraq-Land of the lost!
